'America First' Is Not 'America Alone,' Trump Tells Davos Gathering

"America is open for business," U.S. President Donald Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 26.

President Donald Trump has told the global business elite at the World Economic Forum that his America First slogan does not mean he wants an isolationist United States.

In a keynote address, Trump told the gathering in Davos, Switzerland, on January 26 that the United States was resurgent and "open for business" with the rest of the world.

"As president of the United States, I will always put America First. Just like the leaders of other countries should put their countries first also," he said.

"But America First does not mean America alone. "When the United States grows, so does the world," Trump said.

"American prosperity has created countless jobs around the globe and the drive for excellence, creativity, and innovation in the United States has led to important discoveries that help people everywhere live more prosperous and far healthier lives," he added.

"America is open for business and we are competitive once again," he said in the speech, which came a little over a year after he took office championing an "America First" agenda.

U.S. 'Resurgence'

In his first address as U.S. president at the annual Davos meeting, Trump said, "The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America."

"There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the United States," he said.

Trump argued in the address that a prosperous U.S. was good for the world, saying that as "the United States grows, so does the world."

He said that trade must be "fair and reciprocal" and that Washington would enforce trade rules.

'Unfair Trade Practices'

Trump warned trading partners that Washington would no longer tolerate unfair trade, saying predatory practices were distorting markets.

"The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair trade practices," Trump said. "We cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others."

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Trump Vows To Stay Course On Nuclear Proliferation, Terrorism

Turning to geopolitical matters, Trump said that the United States would continue to call on partners to "block Iran's path" to developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.

He said that the United States is committed to ensuring Afghanistan "never again" becomes a haven for terrorists, and spoke of progress toward defeating the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

The coalition to defeat [IS] has retaken almost 100 percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria," he said.

"The United States is leading a very broad coalition to deny terrorists control of their territory and populations, to cut off their funding, and to discredit their wicked ideology," Trump said.

'Exciting' Forum

Hinting at Russia's clout as an exporter of oil and gas, Trump said that nobody should have to depend on a single country for energy.

Trump is the first sitting president to attend the annual gathering in Davos since Bill Clinton did so in 2000.

Trump said that his two-day visit to Davos, which also included meetings with leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, had been "exciting" and that he was bringing "good will" back to the United States.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and CNN